1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to headrests and more particularly, to a head and neck support for typically engaging a leg of a seated person or the arm of a chair and supporting the head and neck of the person at a comfortable angle and at a selected height above his or her lap. In a preferred embodiment the head and neck support includes a head support tray for typically supporting a pillow which receives the head of the sitting person. The head support tray is pivotally and adjustably attached to a cylindrical compression shaft fitting which receives the upper end of an extension shaft or a support shaft terminated on the bottom end by a curved support arm which typically engages the leg of the user. The extension shaft or support shaft initially receives a compression sleeve which is threaded on the compression shaft fitting to compress the compression shaft fitting against the extension shaft or the support shaft and secure the extension shaft or the support shaft in the compression shaft fitting after a selected length of the support shaft or the extension shaft is extended from the compression shaft fitting. The head support tray can be adjusted at a selected angle with respect to the extension and/or the support shaft to provide optimum comfort to the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of headrests are known in the art for supporting a person's head while the person sits in a chair during traveling, resting or while the person sits in a wheelchair, for texample. U.S. Pat. No. 1,155,223, dated Sep. 28, 1915, to S. E. Douglass, details a "Head Rest" characterized by spring metal clips which are removably fitted over the armrests of a passenger seat in a train, for example, and a support panel spans the clips on the opposite armrests to allow a person sitting in the seat to rest his or her head and neck on the panel. U.S. Pat. No. 2,638,152, dated May 12, 1953, to Newell Pulsifer, details a "Headrest" characterized by a curved flange which receives the backrest of a chair and a headrest pad extends forwardly from the mounted flange to enable a person sitting in the chair to lean his or her head against the pad. U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,974, dated Dec. 20, 1966, to Nathan L. Gelbman, discloses a "Chair Head Rest" characterized by a vertical support having a forwardly-extending headrest assembly attached thereto and a chair mount hook which is provided on the support beneath the headrest assembly and receives the backrest of a chair. The headrest assembly of the mounted support extends over the backrest and enables a person sitting in the chair to rest the back of his or her head against the padded headrest of the headrest assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,704, dated Feb. 12, 1985, to Joseph R. Hildreth, discloses a "Headrest For Chair With Soft Backrest" characterized by a U-shaped frame having a padded head support attached to the upper ends of the frame arms. A U-shaped frame extension is adjustably extendible from the bottom end of the frame and the backrest of a chair or wheelchair is inserted between the frame and frame extension to support the headrest on the chair. A "Head Rest Attachment" for tubular frame lawn or patio furniture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,833, dated Jul. 9, 1985, to James J. Parker. The headrest attachment includes a curved head support and a resilient, adjustable clamp which is provided on the head support and removably receives the tubular backrest of the lawn or patio furniture. U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,483, dated Oct. 28, 1986, to Donna J. Dickey, et al., describes a "Physically Handicapped Shoulder Support For Attachment To A Chair Back", in which a shoulder support panel is attached to the backrest of an armchair or wheelchair. A headrest is provided on the mounted shoulder support panel and a recess is defined in the shoulder support panel beneath the headrest to receive and support a shoulder of a person sitting in the chair and leaning against the shoulder support panel. The headrest is vertically and adjustably mounted on the shoulder support panel to accommodate varying shoulder heights of persons using the chair. U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,028, dated May 3, 1994, to Gary Komberg, discloses a "Headrest Support For A Wheelchair" including a horizontal frame member provided with a pair of spacer blocks at the respective ends of the horizontal frame member for mounting the headrest support to the backrest of the wheelchair. A pair of laterally-adjustable clamping blocks, each of which supports a vertical frame member, is provided on the horizontal frame member between the spacer blocks. Each vertical frame member supports a horizontal, forwardly-extending support member over the backrest, on the extending ends of which horizontal support members is provided a curved, padded headrest.
An object of this invention is to provide an adjustable head and neck support for comfortably supporting the head and neck of a person above his or her lap while he or she is sitting.
Another object of this invention is to provide a head and neck support which can be pivotally or hingedly and linearly adjusted for maximum comfort to support the head and neck of a seated person.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a head and neck support which comfortably supports a person's head at a selected height and position above the person's lap while the person sits, which head and neck support requires no modification of the chair or other support to achieve the purpose.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a head and neck support characterized by a vertical support shaft which terminates on the bottom end in a curved support arm for typically engaging a leg of a user as he or she sits in a chair or the like, and a head support tray which can be adjusted angularly and vertically on the support shaft or a shaft extension, to comfortably support the head and neck of the user at a selected angle and height above his or her lap.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a head and neck support characterized by a head support tray having a cylindrical compression shaft fitting pivotally or hingedly attached to the underside of the head support tray, with the head support tray typically angularly adjustable with respect to the compression shaft fitting; a support shaft extension or support shaft which are adjustably extendible from the bottom end of the compression shaft fitting; a compression sleeve fitted on the shaft extension or the support shaft for threadibly engaging and compressing the compression shaft fitting against the extension or the support shaft after a selected length of the extension or the support shaft is extended from the compression shaft fitting; and a curved support arm terminating the bottom end of the support shaft for typically engaging the user's leg as the user sits and the head support tray comfortably supports the user's head and neck at a selected height and angle above his or her lap.